The recent increase in popularity of plastic shopping bags for use by the majority of supermarkets and other retail outlets has carried with it an associated problem of discomfort associated with the effect of the handle openings on the hand of a user when such bags are loaded with heavy goods. The problem is further aggravated when shoppers carry more than one bag in a single hand.
Various hand grips have been devised to alleviate the foregoing problem. U.S. Pat. No. 1,576,546 issued Mar. 16, 1926 to Ransom discloses a package carrier of a length corresponding to the width of a hand and U-shaped in cross-section. Ends of the carrier are bent inwardly to form lugs which are adapted to retain a cord or string associated with a package or bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,468,848 issued Sept. 25, 1923 to Wear discloses a market bag holder having a base adapted to conform to the fingers of a hand, a pair of elongated channels formed along an upper surface of the base to receive the strings of a bag and an upstanding soft pliable pad to fit against the palm of a hand. The arcuate shape developed by the Ransom carrier tends to also bias the palm of a hand toward an arcuate shape which, in itself, creates discomfort and aggravation to a user. Since the Wear holder exhibits no means for capturing a cord, the device would have to be repositioned with respect to the strings of a bag if a user released his grip. In addition, the device would exhibit some tendency to slide off of the bag holder in the event the bag holder were tilted toward one side.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,140 issued Oct. 14, 1975 to Franges discloses a handle for packages which closes on itself and retains a cord or string of a package or bag locked into a bottom surface thereof by retainer segments. The Franges device is relatively complicated and hence expensive to fabricate as well as being somewhat awkward to use in that because of a tight frictional engagement of grooves along the top of each of the sides of the carrier the sides of the device have to be pried apart in order to open it.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 268,815 issued May 3, 1983 to Schwalbach discloses a carrying handle having two diverging panels joined at the bottom in an arcuate channel. One of the panels of the carrying handle has a handle opening proximate the top thereof and a reinforced handle portion with finger grips including snap fastening buttons to allow attachment of the other panel. The need to use snap fasteners in order to lock a bag handle is a relatively expensive and somewhat awkward system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,640 issued May 27, 1986 to Enersen discloses a handle for a plastic bag consisting of an arcuate elongated channel in a rounded cylindrical block having two spaced apart upwardly projecting sides forming the channel opening. The Enersen device which is relatively bulky has a solid body and no means for locking onto the handle of the bag so as to allow the user or shopper to release the device and then recapture it without having to reposition the device under a handle opening.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,940 issued Jan. 10, 1989 to Rimland discloses a handle grip consisting of a flexible plastic rectangular planar configuration which is bendable to a U-shaped configuration with the bent portions capable of being locked together with a fastening element. The Rimland device in having rectangular sides would be relatively difficult to fit through and position within the handle opening of a bag and, moreover, requires a separate element die-cut in the side of one of the panels to be threaded through an opening on an opposite one of the panels. Clearly the fastening element would have a tendency after a few operations to tear away from the remainder of the panel In any event, the fastening method disclosed is somewhat awkward.
Accordingly, it is the object of the invention to provide an improved handle grip for carrying bags having handle openings or handles. It is a further object of the invention to provide a hand grip of a relatively simple design which is inexpensive and without any moving parts. It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a hand grip which is capable of interlocking with an identical hand grip for more convenient storage.